Germany will not join Syria allied response

Eli Ridder | The Avro Post

German Chancellor Angela Merkel made it clear on Thursday that her country would not engage in an allied offensive on Syria in response to the Douma chemical attack, but explained her country supports the chemical probe.

“Germany will not participate in possible military actions” against Syria, she said from Berlin, explaining that her country will “support and see to it that every effort is being made to show that this use of chemical weapons is unacceptable”.

The Chancellor explained her country is behind the U.N. Security Council and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW, who said they would be investigating Douma to find truth for the alleged chemical weapons attack.

If the U.S., the U.K. and France were to take military action, Berlin would seek other ways to help which don’t involve the military.

Damascus narrowly avoided US and French air strikes in 2013 in retaliation for a suspected sarin attack by agreeing to hand over its chemical arsenal.

U.K. to make decision

British Prime Minister Theresa May convened a meeting of her cabinet on Thursday to discuss the government’s response to the alleged chemical weapons attack carried out by the Syrian regime last week.

Lawmakers will consider whether or not to back military action that was threatened by the United States and allies such as France and escalated on Thursday when U.S. President Donald Trump said Russia should expect Syrian strikes.

Ms. May has previously said “all the indications” point to the Syrian government under its president, Bashar al-Assad, as responsible for the chemical attack, which Damascus denies.

The U.S. and France vowed a “firm” response earlier this week and movements in the Middle East region, military brass moving in and out of the White House and flight rerouting by Syria shows anticipation of an incoming air assault by allies.

The U.S. maintained that “all options are on the table” for its response to the alleged chemical attack the Syrian government carried out last week following threats of a missile attack from President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders would not go into further detail regarding the a possible U.S. strike, repeating that Mr. Trump had several options for a response to Syria, despite the president specifically suggesting earlier that an attack was imminent.

Mr. Trump tweeted in the morning that missiles “will be coming” to the condemnation of Russia, who blames the White Helmets, a Syrian rescue group, for the purported chemical weapons strike on April 7 that Syria denies responsibility for.

Ms. Sanders also said that Russia plays a role in determining whether it becomes an enemy of Washington in regards to what she described as being a “bad actor”.

The suspected chemical strike in Douma may have affected some 500 people, according to the World Health Organization.

The WHO said the mass of people had been seen at medical facilities exhibiting symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic chemicals.

On Monday, Trump said that there would be a decision made within 48 hours, vowing a “firm” response with ally French President Emmanuel Macron, but Sanders on Wednesday said the president “has not laid out a timetable”.

The United Kingdom was more vocal on Wednesday, saying that “All indications are that this was the responsibility of the Syrian regime and we will now work with our closest allies to see how we can ensure that those responsible are held to account.”

British Prime Minister Theresa May ordered submarines to move within missile range of Syria in preparation for a strike, the Telegraph reported.

Other U.S. allies such as Canada gave their condemnation over the attack for violating international law on the day it happened, but so far it appears that only the U.S., U.K. and France would participate in a multi-lateral attack on Syrian government forces.

Kuwait Airways has announced it has decided to stop flights to Beirut from Thursday onward until further notice on the basis of security warnings from the Cypriot authorities which say it is dangerous to fly in the atmosphere surrounding Lebanon.

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Eli Ridder is a journalism student at the University of Guelph-Humber and a senior correspondent for multiple independent publications including, but not limited to, The Anon Journal, Berning Media Network and the Ribbon. Find out more at eliridder.ca